The Finnish Refugee Council asked Ugandan, Swedish and Finnish secondary school pupils about their attitudes towards refugees. The survey was done in November / December 2003 in Kampala, Jinja, Stockholm, Tierp, Haparanda, Helsinki, Oulu and Vasa. The answes here have been randomly picked from the 230 answered questionnaires.

Why do you think flee from their countries?

UGANDA
People flee to look for better. People flee when they are escaping wars (girl, 15, Jinja).

Because of conflicts. To look for employment. To look for land for settlement (boy, 15, Jinja).

I think because of civil wars. Then there is also because of tropical dicision (girl, 14, Jinja).

Due to wars. Lack of social services, schools, hospitals... (boy, Jinja).

I think people flee because of wars which affect normal life by making it difficult for people to practise agriculture and even for children to go to school (boy, 14, Jinja).

They flee because of wars, poor accomodation, lack of enough water. Some more because their parents died, some flee due to love for adventure (boy, 15, Jinja).

Actually people flee due to many reasons but in summary, they do flee because of war in their countries or home lands, diseases, drought, famine... (girl, 18, Kampala).

To rescue their lives. To be safe (girl, 18, Kampala).

These people flee because of political instability. These also flee because of diseases and probably luck of good (boy, 19, Kampala).

People flee due to wars, instable political governments, conflicts (tribal) “genocides”, insecurity in their c`tries (boy, 17, Kampala).

SWEDEN
I  don't really know but I think it's because they're afraid of dying (girl, 14, Stockholm).

Insecurity, just doesn't like it there where (s)he is coming from (girl, 15 Stockholm).

Political reasons, war and other similar reasons (boy, 14, Stockholm).

Because they have got problems in their own country (boy, 14, Stockholm).

Maybe because it's better in the country they're fleeing to. Because they have got war or something like that (boy, 15, Haparanda).

War, divorce of the parents (boy, 13, Haparanda).

The economy of the country… (girl, 14, Haparanda).

War, starvation, thirst (girl, 13, Haparanda).

War, religious difficulties, hunting for a free country where you can speak your own language and wear your own clothes, that are veiling and stuff like that (girl, 12, Haparanda).

They donät want to be there if they get bombed (girl, 13, Haparanda).

FINLAND
Because of war, erath quakes and other disasters (boy, 15, Oulu).

Because of bad living circumstances, e.g. pollution, lack of water, food and money (girl, 15, Oulu).

Hoping to get better education and a better life (girl, 15, Oulu).

Because of the skin heads (boy, 13, Helsinki).

They don't want to stay in the middle of a war but want to go to a better place (girl, 13, Helsinki).

They flee from war, oppression and unfair life (girl, 15, Helsinki). Because of war, poverty and discrimination. Or because they are being chased out of the country (girl, 15, Helsinki).

The refugees feel at home/don't feel at home in you country because…

UGANDA
Because Uganda is a country that loves helping people and the people have love to each other and care for one another (boy, 17, Kampala).

Refugees like living in Uganda because the land is fertile and the areas which they are storming are peaceful compared to theirs (boy, 18, Kampala).

Uganda (my country) is financially not well so might at times fail to give the refugees the required support (boy, 18, Kampala).

Refugees don´t like being some but conditions do force them and with this a country that accepts them stands in for their rescue like Uganda (boy, 17, Kampala).

Refugees like living in Uganda because of the love and care it has for them (girl, 18, Kampala).

Because Uganda has good climate, better than other countries (boy, 14, Jinja).

In Uganda every one has his own rights (boy, 14, Jinja).

It´s because whenever they come to Uganda they are favoured and being provided house, food, clothing and other basic needs they require (girl, 15, Jinja).

 It is because Uganda is the pearl of Africa and the most suitable for human settlement (girl, 16, Jinja).

Because Uganda is beautiful and is a pearl of Africa and on top of that ugandians are loving people (girl, 15, Jinja).

It´s because Ugandan people are social and co operative (girl, 15, Jinja).

 Because the people of Uganda accept anyone of any category (boy,14, Jinja).

SWEDEN
Sweden is a nice and peaceful country. But there are a lot of bad things too. (girl, 14, Tierp).

I don't really know but most of them donät feel at home here. Because there is such a big hate against them (girl, 15, Tierp).

Because we haven't had a war here for over 200 years and we have got a better economy and better flats (boy, 14, Tierp).

Because they get money (boy, 14, Tierp).

I think everybody wants to live in the country they come from (girl, 14, Tierp).

It depends. If there are many racists and nazis then they don't probably feel at home too much (girl, 15, Tierp).

I don't think they feel at home here because some refugees have been physically abused (boy, 14, Stockholm).

I think all the people should be treated in the same way. Some refugees don't like it here because it is so hard for them to find work because they can't speak the language so well (girl, 14, Stockholm).

They feel at home here because we have such a good society to live in (boy, 14, Stockholm).

We have it quite well here with money and food but there's not much work and it can be difficult for refugees and foreigners in general to get a job (girl, 14, Stockholm).

They like it here very well because they get food and work (boy, 14, Stockholm).

FINLAND
They don't necessarily feel at home, because many people are discriminating them (girl, 13, Helsinki)

Many people are disapproving / abusing refugees, then again some people help them are friendly to them (girl, 13, Helsinki)

Finland is a nice place (boy, 13, Helsinki).

We have it good in Finland. A lot of food etc. (boy, 13, Helsinki).

The refugees are causing crimes, they're eating the society's money (boy, 13, Helsinki).

They get more shops for bying things. Authorities can support them (girl, 14, Vaasa).

I don't know that one (girl, 14, Vaasa).

Finland is a quite safe country (girl, 14, Vaasa).

I don't have anything against refugees (girl, 14, Vaasa).

The refugees feel at home maybe because Finland is such a free country, but if everybody could move whereever they wanted Finland would over crowded (girl, 14, Vaasa).

Finland is perhaps better at accepting immigrants (boy, 14, Vaasa).

Complete the sentence The refugees could be helped so that…

UGANDA
They can feel at home and forget all about what is going on in their home land (boy, 14, Jinja).

Refugees could be helped so that they grow in to responsible persons (boy, 16, Jinja).

...they get energy and be encouraged to defend the country. ...so that they get shelters to be protected from direct sunshine and rainfall (boy, 16, Jinja).

...in the end they become usefull citizens. They may help in the agriculture production which help in the development of a country like Uganda (girl, 14, Jinja).

They could be helped so that they don´t suffer a lot and end up dying. They could be helped since when some of them are educated they can become useful people in our country inspite of being refugees (girl, 15, Jinja).

They are provided land to settle and they are provided basic necessities like education, treatment by hospitals being constructed for them, and shelter and even food since they never practise agriculture due to limited land provided for them (boy, 14, Jinja).

...to give them courage to help us also another time when we want their help (girl, 15, Jinja).

...so that they feel at home and even settle here in Uganda because some of them even bring nice ideas in the country (boy, 16, Jinja).

...so that tey gain back their citizenship and enjoy their lives like anybody else in his or her country. I imagine they would love to (boy, 17, Kampala).

...so that they would feel they still have opportunities to live / survive besides the bad experiences of war that they underwent and for them to appreciate life (boy, 18, Kampala).

...so that they feel that we care about them... so that they develop physically, politically and mentally... so that they have good health... so that they feel happy (girl, 19, Kampala).

...so that they also receive education like other people, get employment opportunities ... so as to improve on their standards of living, so that countries may develop with the refugees´ technology, so that diseases may be avoided (girl, 18, Kampala).

... so that they also feel they are not neglected and are still cared about by the world. They may get basic needs like food, shelter, medication, clothing and others (boy, 20, Kampala).

... so that they can even turn to be very important people e.g. leaders at various levels if rendered the necessary support (boy, 18, Kampala).

SWEDEN
They would get more permissions to come to Sweden or Finland (girl, 13, Haparanda).

They could learn more Swedish and they could live in their own countries and go to school and there wouldn't be any war so that they could move back if they wish to. (boy, 13, Haparanda).

They would get food to their own country and they wouldn't all come here (girl, 14, Haparanda).

They would get better clothes, good food and a place to live (boy, 13, Haparanda).

They would find a job easier (boy, 15, Haparanda).

They should get everything that we get, go to school etc. (girl, 15, Haparanda).

They can go to a psychologist who can help them to get rid off their fears from the war (boy, 14, Stockholm).

They could learn Swedish (boy, 14, Stockholm).

They get a possibility to recover after the terrible moral injustice that exists in the world (girl, 15, Stockholm).

They get a better life. You can always donate money to organisations and so on (girl, 14, Stockholm).

They would get more help with the language so that they could get better jobs (boy, 15, Stockholm).

FINLAND
We let more refugees in to Finland and give them jobs and food (girl, 14, Oulu).

We would send the things they need / food there and they wouldn't have to come here (boy, 14, Oulu).

They need more friends (boy, 15, Oulu).

… they could be settled somewhere else… (boy, 15, Oulu).

The neigbours and class mates should stop the neverending discrimination. The circumstances in their countries should be improved, they would get equality also in real life, not only on paper (girl, 16, Oulu).

We would help them to find a good flat and a job by advising them with every day matters, so that they would get used to the customs of the country (girl, 15, Helsinki).

Prejudism would be eliminated (girl, 15, Helsinki).

… give them less money so that they would go to work (boy, 16, Helsinki).

…give the support with the language and a place to stay, to start with (boy, 13, Helsinki).

We would teach them Finnish (girl, 15, Helsinki).

We should tell people more about them and their circumstances (girl, 15, Helsinki).

The circumstances in their home countries would be improved (girl, 15, Helsinki).

…. give them a place to stay, clothes, food (boy, 13, Helsinki).

…. they could move back to their home countries (boy, 15, Helsinki).

… that they could come to other countries and they would be given a good home (girl, 13, Helsinki).

Print